Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Top 10 Architectural
Features
Triangular Gable
This simple triangular-
shaped gable can be seen on
Het Houten Huis
(see p22)
.
Bell Gable
Fashionable in the late
17th and 18th centuries, bell-
shaped gables can be flam-
boyant (Prinsengracht 126) or
unadorned (Leliegracht 57).
Neck Gable
Made popular by Philips
Vingboons, this gable has a
raised centrepiece; Oude
Turfmarkt 145 is an example.
Scheepvaarthuis
Westindisch Huis
The city of New York was con-
ceived in the Dutch West India
Company building, and Pieter
Stuyvesant's statue still surveys
the courtyard
(see p39)
. Built in
1615, its classical proportions belie
its origins as a meat market.
d
Haarlemmerstraat 75
•
Map D2
Spout Gable
This plain triangular gable
topped by a spout was used
for warehouses, like those at
Entrepotdok
(see p123)
.
Step Gable
Common from 1600 to
1665, this gable has steps on
both sides: Huis op de drie
Grachten has three
(see p79)
.
Paleis van Justitie
This sober, monumental
building in Empire style is a
conversion of the Almoners'
Orphanage by city architect Jan
de Greef.
d
Prinsengracht 434-6
•
Map K6
Wall Plaque
Before numbering was
introduced, houses were
identified by plaques
(see p23)
.
Claw Piece
Sculptures - frequently of
dolphins - were made to fill
the right angles of gables, as
in Oudezijds Voorburgwal 119.
Greenpeace Building
Gerrit van Arkel's eye-
catching 1905 building is a fine
example of
Nieuwe Kunst
, the
Dutch version of Art Nouveau.
Built for an insurance company, it
is now the world headquarters of
the environmental campaigner
Greenpeace.
d
Keizersgracht 174-6
•
Map L2
Mask
This type of Renaissance
decoration depicts a human or
animal face, and can be seen
at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 57.
Cornices
From 1690, gables fell out
of vogue and decorative top
mouldings came in: examples
line the Herengracht.
Scheepvaarthuis
Designed as shipping
company offices by van der Mey,
de Klerk and Kramer, this fanciful
building (1916) is smothered in
nautical whimsy - mariners,
monsters, and mermaids.
d
Prins
Hendrikkade 108
•
Map Q2
Pediment Carvings
Carvings often decorate
the triangular or rounded form
above doorways: see the Felix
Meritis Building
(see p57)
.
45
